House Renovation in Quy

This lovely double fronted cottage, just outside Cambridge, dates back to before 1810. Originally, the ground floor comprised two reception rooms either side of an exceptionally wide staircase, and a small entrance hall. The kitchen was lean-to structure at the rear, accessed from a reception room. Below the reception rooms was a cellar, and above were two bedrooms, partly in the roof.

Sometime in the nineteenth century, the cottage gained a remarkably large outside lavatory with WC, hand basin and foul drainage. This probably replaced a more primitive facility. Post-war extensions included an inside bathroom, a first-floor WC, and a kitchen pantry.Unfortunately, the heating, hot-water, damp-proofing and structural repairs were rather low-cost and ineffective.

The result was a house that was damp, with floors at different levels, a leaking roof, and a steeply pitched staircase that sloped sideways.

We specified a high standard of insulation, which added little to the cost. Yet consequently, the house is mainly heated with a wood-burning stove, backed-up by an oil-fired boiler. This combination provides environmental benefits and automates the heating. Later, we designed a glazed timber conservatory opening from the drawing room, an enclosed porch, and a part glazed rear porch enabling access to the original building.